Remembering one of the Greatest Drummers of all time
Eric Carr 1950-1991
September 02, 2007
On November 24, 1991, the rock world stood in shock as the news was released that Freddie Mercury from Queen had lost his battle with AIDS and had passed away. But on the very same day, another musician had also died, one whose story was swept under the covers of the news media as his passing was shadowed by that of Mercury's.
His name was Eric Carr. As evidenced with the comparison of media coverage between him and Freddie Mercury, he was not automatically the most well known musician in the mainstream. But his impact on his supporters was just as profound and remarkable.
Eric Carr was the drummer for KISS; joining in 1980 as "The Fox", replacing original member Peter Criss. He was instantaneously embraced by the fans, and his drumming talents brought KISS to a new echelon: he pushed them to be a more heavier and modern sounding band.
Eric brought energy back to the group, which they had lost amongst a fog of drugs and ego. By the time Eric had joined KISS in 1980, the band were in a condition of disillusionment. KISS had begun to "follow trends", and lost the aggressive and crude bite that they had during the seventies. Gone were the days of Deuce, Strutter and Rock and Roll All Night. In their place existed Tomorrow, Save Your Love and Is That You?
The influence Eric Carr had in KISS began gradually, but was evident by the time the album Creatures of the Night came out in 1982. In Gene Simmons' terms, Eric had pushed KISS into being "a heavier band." Out of the ashes of the last three records (Dynasty, Unmasked and The Elder) came a collection of songs, such as I Love It Loud, War Machine and Keep Me Coming, that for the most part put KISS back in their place as the one of the greatest bands in the world.
In the course of a variety of influences such as the revolving door of lead guitarist changes, Gene's Hollywood and pecuniary obsessions, the unmasking of the band and the influence of "MTV culture", the accomplishments of KISS during the eighties had its ups and downs, and were by no means equivalent to the height of success the band held during the seventies. But regardless of this, KISS continued onwards, being held together by Paul Stanley and Eric Carr. Gene was preoccupied with his vision of acting and, prior to 1984/1985, KISS did not have a lead guitarist with a position of permanency within the band. In a very real way, it was Paul Stanley and Eric Carr that held the band together for the duration of this time.
Not only did Eric and Paul hold the whole thing up, the fans did also. During "low points" the band experienced, such as the disappointment of The Elder, many dedicated fans stuck with the band and helped keep them going. Along with the broad-spectrum support of fans by buying the albums and going to the shows, other indicators of fan support became tenaciously evident. Fanzines began appearing, fan coordinated KISS Conventions began being held and KISS Tribute bands were starting to form. Even popular bands that were KISS fans began recording the odd "KISS cover" now and again. Fan support of KISS was a much more focal strength during the eighties and beyond.
Eric Carr recognized this from his beginnings in KISS. He delved into the success and illustriousness he immediately received and achieved when he joined the band, but never once did he stop thinking about the fact that he wouldn't be in the band nor would he continue to be in KISS if it was not for the fans. He was always there for the fans. He spent time with them, composed letters to them and autographed things for them. But more importantly, he paid attention to them. He was genuinely interested in what they had to say. His positive and dependable approach to KISS fans in this manner continued throughout his whole time in KISS.
In 1991, it was announced that Eric had been diagnosed with cancer. The information shocked KISS fans worldwide, and he underwent open heart surgery to clear out the tumor growth, after which the cancer was thought to be in remission. Later in the year, during November, he collapsed and was hurried to the hospital where it was discovered he had suffered from a brain hemorrhage. After concentrated work by the doctors, they discovered his cancer had returned and that his condition was declining. On November 24, he experienced a second brain hemorrhage, and died.
The news shattered the hearts of KISS fans internationally. He had been a major influence on them all, and he is still missed to this day.
I became a KISS fan when Eric was in the band, and when I was fourteen years old, back in 1990, I decided I would write to him. It was really an undistinguished letter, but the best a 14 year old kid could write. I remember going through what I had written over and over again, making sure it was perfect in my eyes.
The letter was mostly about me. I had figured that Eric almost certainly didn't need to read things like "you're the greatest" or likewise, as he probably heard those words or words of their kind from other fans on a daily basis. From what I had heard from other fans, Eric was more interested in hearing about who his fans were, and what they did. I hoped that this was the case, and sent it off to New York. Appreciatively, my hope was right.
On a hot Australian summer day in mid-January 1991, I checked our mail. There were two letters for me that day, one of which had arrived in a bizarre envelope. I slowly made my way back to the house, carefully examining this interesting envelope.
The instantaneous focal point of the envelope was the professionally embossed KISS logo in its corner. At first I could not work out who it was from. " then all at once it clicked. I froze where I was. Next to the logo was the address I had sent my letter to, and at the same time, I recognized the handwriting of Eric Carr on the front of the envelope. Carefully, I opened the envelope, not wanting to "damage" it. Eric had autographed the picture I had sent (Click here to see it). Upon the picture, an image of him standing behind his kit holding up a drink towards the audience, he wrote, "Greg, here's to ya, mate!!! Eric Carr."
Receiving that from Eric is a memory I will never forget.
Months later, I came across a piece of writing by Jeff Guerra for a KISS fanzine. It was about how he had attended the memorial service held for Eric, and it was a touching article.
Recently, I had a good friend of mine ask me if I still had a copy of Guerra's commentary. I went digging through my house, and sure enough, I found it. After reading it a few times to myself, I decided I would post it here in its entirety.
Here is Jeff Guerra's account of the funeral for Eric Carr:
Funeral for Eric Carr
by Jeff Guerra
Funeral for Eric Carr, St Joseph's Church, Middletown, NY
Saturday, November 30, 1991
Report by Jeff Guerra, KISS Army International
Lawrence, Massachusetts
On November 25, 1991, I got a call from a friend telling me that Eric Carr, KISS' drummer of 11 years had just died. I was blown away. Flipping on MTV, my fears were confirmed. Dead at 41 years old; this really sucked. I made up my mind at that moment that if the funeral was anywhere in New York, I was going to it. The next day, the New York Daily News reported Eric's death and info on where the funeral would be held. It would be in Middletown, NY. My grandparents live in Newburgh, NY, which is only about 10 miles from Middletown.
So, the day after Thanksgiving, I left for NY. I live in Lawrence, Massachusetts (about 25 miles from Boston), and it is only 206 miles to NY so the trek would be easy. My whole family thought I was crazy, but I am sure that any fan that had the opportunity to mourn one of their heroes would go too.
After staying in Newburg the night before, I got up early that Saturday and made the drive to St. Joseph's Church in Middletown, not really knowing what to expect. It was cool and sunny. About ten people were waiting at the church when I arrived there at about 7:00 am. We were all stunned from Eric's passing away. Time passed and more people gathered. All of us were there to pay our respects to Eric. Some people were dressed according to attend church, and others were in KISS t-shirts and ripped jeans. Some had cameras: it seemed that more than half of the people were hoping to get a glimpse of Paul or Gene; what sick fucks!
When the time came for the service, a gentleman came out from the church and told us, "Against the better judgment of Mrs. Caravello, she has decided to let you people come into the service. Eric's sister said that this is what Eric would want. Do not make her regret her decision!" With that he led us into the church in an orderly fashion.
The church was beautiful and stunning inside: big stained glass windows, very high ceiling and small nooks all over it... & there it was: Eric's casket. At the end of the long middle aisle there is was: silver with a blue tapestry with gold trim. Not a chrome or polished silver, but a matte silver finish. It looked like a brand new DeLorean. Gene, Paul, and Bruce were already seated when we came in. Ace Frehley came later, but arrived before the service began.
The funeral service was Roman Catholic. Neither Eric's family nor members of the band spoke, but left the speaking to the Catholic priest. Eric's sister had written a message to the people in attendance, and when it was read out load, I stared to cry. You could feel the love his family had for him and their sense of grief over the loss of the beloved brother. This was not a funeral for the drummer of KISS. It was a passing of a brother, a son, of a friend who was taken from us way too soon. When the Communion part of the service came, I walked up to the casket, and all of this really began to sink in.
Not being Catholic, Bruce, Gene, and Paul did not go up to take communion but stayed in their seats. As I walked by, I saw that Bruce was crying uncontrollably, and his wife, Christina, was doing her best to comfort him. Gene was just staring ahead. He looked so angry: angry at God, angry at Eric... just plain angry. How could God do this to his friend? He looked as though he was thinking, "How dare Eric leave me?" Gene never wavered in his stare. When people stood up for the rest of the service, he just sat and stared - it was kind of spooky. Paul was in the clouds. His eyes were puffy and bloodshot; he was just soaking it all in.
As I walked past the casket, I reached out to it - ICE: that is exactly what it felt like. It sent a shiver up and down my spine. From that moment on, I was in a daze. I floated back to my seat and then it seemed as though Eric was there. A serene air filled the church as though he was making everyone relax...
When the service was over, the fans rushed out with their cameras to catch a glimpse of "you-know-who". Some clicked photos of the coffin in the back of the hearse. It was pretty sick and morbid. If you were there, what do you need photos for?
The procession to Middlehope for the burial was about two miles long. It took up the whole right lane of I-84 E. Only family and guests of Eric Carr were allowed to enter the mausoleum for the burial. The rest of the people waited outside the cemetery, across the street in the parking lot of a bar. After a while the cars started to leave the cemetery. Bruce was driving a Chevy Caprice, Gene and Paul both were in a blue Lincoln Town Car and Ace left in a silver Cadillac limo.
The State Police finally told us we could go into the cemetery. We all jumped into our cars and drove in and parked in front of the mausoleum. It was a beautiful place with lots of grass and trees. Many flowers from the funeral were placed on the front lawn, as the fans passed by they also added their flowers for Eric to the large pile. Eric's final resting place was towards the back of the building.
A huge rose-colored slab of marble on the wall was all that there was; his name would be added later. For now there was just a small sticker on the bottom with the word, CARAVELLO on it. People were crying and touching the wall. There was a couch right in front and I sat there for two hours. I was soaking in everyone's feelings, trying to sort out my own, and still trying to realize that I was at the grave of my friend, my Little Caesar. And to think that I had never met the man, but at that point I never had felt closer to him.
Goodbye, Eric.
Rest in Peace...
Eric Carr - Message from Hospital - 1991
Eric Carr Drum Solo
Little Caesar Tribute
Eric Carr Remembered: Eyes of Love
Eric Carr's Rockology at Amazon.com:
Inside the Tale of the Fox: The Eric Carr Story at Amazon.com:
His name was Eric Carr. As evidenced with the comparison of media coverage between him and 
In the course of a variety of influences such as the revolving door of lead guitarist changes, Gene's Hollywood and pecuniary obsessions, the unmasking of the band and the influence of "MTV culture", the accomplishments of KISS during the eighties had its ups and downs, and were by no means equivalent to the height of success the band held during the seventies. But regardless of this, 
In 1991, it was announced that Eric had been diagnosed with cancer. The information shocked 
On November 25, 1991, I got a call from a friend telling me that 
The church was beautiful and stunning inside: big stained glass windows, very high ceiling and small nooks all over it... & there it was: Eric's casket. At the end of the long middle aisle there is was: silver with a blue tapestry with gold trim. Not a chrome or polished silver, but a matte silver finish. It looked like a brand new 
As I walked past the casket, I reached out to it - ICE: that is exactly what it felt like. It sent a shiver up and down my spine. From that moment on, I was in a daze. I floated back to my seat and then it seemed as though Eric was there. A serene air filled the church as though he was making everyone relax...
A huge rose-colored slab of marble on the wall was all that there was; his name would be added later. For now there was just a small sticker on the bottom with the word, 
